Mississippi enacts law that allows denying services to gays

April 5 (Reuters) - Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on
Tuesday signed a far-reaching law allowing people with religious
objections to deny wedding services to same-sex couples and
protecting other actions considered discriminatory by gay rights
activists.

The measure also clears the way for employers to cite
religion in determining workplace policies on dress code,
grooming and bathroom and locker access, drawing criticism from
civil rights leaders.

Bryant, a Republican, said in a statement he signed the law
"to protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral
convictions of individuals, organizations and private
associations from discriminatory action by state government."

Mississippi is the latest state drawing national protest for
a law seen as anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT). North Carolina recently barred transgender people from
choosing bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.

Tennessee is considering similar legislation related to
school bathrooms, and civil rights groups are watching a
Missouri measure seen as discriminatory. Last week, the
governors of Georgia and Virginia vetoed "religious liberty"
bills.

The latest wave of measures, pushed by social conservatives,
came after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that legalized
same-sex marriage.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized the
Mississippi law, which is expected to take effect in July.

"This is a sad day for the state of Mississippi and for the
thousands of Mississippians who can now be turned away from
businesses, refused marriage licenses, or denied housing,
essential services and needed care based on who they are," said
Jennifer Riley-Collins, executive director of the ACLU of
Mississippi, in a statement.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo responded by banning all
non-essential state travel to Mississippi.

"We will continue to reject the politics of division and
exclusion. This Mississippi law is a sad, hateful injustice,"
Cuomo said in a statement.

The ACLU, which is involved in a federal lawsuit challenging
the North Carolina law, said it was considering its next steps
in Mississippi.

Major U.S. companies have pushed back against such
legislation, with the North Carolina law opposed by Apple Inc
, Twitter Inc, Alphabet Inc and
others.

On Tuesday, PayPal Holdings Inc canceled plans to
open a global operations center in Charlotte, North Carolina and
invest $3.6 million locally.

In Mississippi, critics included large employers such as
Nissan North America and MGM Resorts International.

Still, nearly two-thirds of Mississippi voters supported the
law, according to a poll highlighted on Tuesday by the Family
Research Council, an influential Christian lobbying group.
(Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by David Gregorio and
Richard Chang)